CONSTITUTION

INTERNATIONAL PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATION

CONTENTS

Articles Page

Name 2

Objectives 2

Membership 3

Governing Bodies 4

Officers 8

Site of the Administrative Office 9

International Congress 9

Amendments 9

First Schedule: Presidency... 10

Second Schedule: Dues 10

Third Schedule: Termination of Membership 10

Fourth Schedule: Meetings 11

Fifth Schedule: Language 12

Sixth Schedule: Voting 12

Seventh Schedule: Reports 12

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CONSTITUTIONOFTHEINTERNATIONAL

PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATION (IPA)

Adopted by the Council of Delegates on October 8, 1974 and amended on

September 9, 1980

November 8, 1983

September 6 and 9, 1992

September 12 and 14, 1995

August11, 1998

August18, 2004 and

August 26, 2007

August 19, 2016 (Vancouver)

Article1-NAME 1.1. The name of the Association shall be ‘The International Pediatric Association’ (IPA). Article2-OBJECTIVES

2.1. The objective of the IPA shall be to promote the highest attainable standards of child

health throughout the world through the establishment of a professional organization

representing pediatricians of all countries. 2.1.1. To achieve this objective, IPA will: i. promote friendship and collaboration of the world’s pediatricians in order to improve

the health and well-being, the protection, and the support of every child from birth

through adolescence;

ii. under take programmatic actions which address major global child health issues;

iii. promote education on child health issues through support of an international congress,

regional forums, and other activities;

iv. encourage training and research in all aspects pediatrics;

v. advocate for the universal rights of children;

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vi. collaborate and cooperate with national, regional and international bodies with

similar interests in promoting the health and rights of children.

Article3-MEMBERSHIP

3.1.Membership shall include: 1) National Pediatric Societies representing a whole nation, with

each nation having only one vote; 2)Regional Pediatric Societies defined as multinational

pediatric societies established on the basis of geography, according to guidelines determined by

the governance of the IPA and approved by the Council of Delegates (CD),with each

recognized IPA geographic region having only one vote and 3)International Societies of

Pediatric Medical and Surgical Specialists and other societies defined by criteria developed by

the governance of the IPA and approved by the CD. Each Member Society shall be represented

by a Delegate who will serve on the CD, subject to the above.

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3.2. Applications for the status of Member Societies shall be submitted to the

Executive Director in a timely fashion so that they may be presented to the CD of the

IPA at least 6months in advance of the next meeting of the CD, and be voted on at that

meeting. 3.3. Member Societies shall pay dues according to the guidelines established by the

governance of the IPA, and approved by the CD.

3.4. The Secretary of each Member Society shall furnish the Executive Director of the

IPA with a list of the officers and the number of members of his/ her respective

society immediately following each election. Article4- GOVERNING BODIES 4.1 Council of Delegates (CD): The control of the policies of the IPA shall be

vested in a CD, consisting of one delegate from each Member Society.

4.2. Each Member Society shall have process for designation of a delegate to the IPA

CD which conforms to IPA principles of representative and democratic governance.

The officially designated delegate from each Member Society will duly represent that

Society in all discussions and votes. Each Member Society shall communicate the

name of its official voting delegate to the IPA Executive Director and Administrative

Office at least 2months prior to any CD meeting, and each country with more than

one National Society shall communicate the name of the one voting delegate from

that nation.

4.3. When a country has no Member Society, it may be permitted to send an

official non-voting delegate to the CD upon the approval of the Executive

Committee (EC) and Standing Committee (SC).This delegate may take part in

discussions of the CD but may not vote.

4.4. Members of the EC and members of the SC shall serve as non-voting members of

the CD.

4.5. The President of the IPA shall preside over all meetings of the CD.

4.6. The CD shall meet at the time of each International Congress.

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4.7. The functions of the CD shall be:

(i) To review the policies and strategic plans of the IPA and provide input

regarding such matters to the SC and EC.

(ii) To elect the President-Elect;

(iii) To receive, review, and approve new IPA membership applications for National,

Regional and International Pediatric Medical and Surgical Specialty Societies;

(iv) To approve the joint report of the President and the Executive Director;

(v) To receive, review, and approve the financial report and audit covering the

period since the previous International Congress;

(vi) To elect the members of the IPA Standing Committee from the slate of

candidates generated by the process defined in Section4.9below;

(vii) To determine the location of the future International Congress;

(viii) To elect the President of the next International Congress based on the

recommendation of the hosting national pediatric society;

(ix) To deal with any matter properly brought before the CD by a member National,

Regional, or International Specialty Society, the Standing Committee, or the

Executive Committee.

4.8. The Standing Committee (SC): The SC of the IPA shall consist of 21 members in

addition to the IPA Officers. Six of the Seven Regions shall include the President plus one

duly-elected representative to represent Member National Pediatric Societies within their

geographic region; however, acknowledging size and population, the Asia-Pacific region has

2 additional representatives elected by the CD.

Therefore, regional representation accounts for 16 total seats on the SC. The remaining five seats are

duly elected representatives of the Member International Pediatric Specialty Societies.

The Seven geographic regions noted above are defined as: 1.) USA and Canada; 2.) Latin

America (including Mexico); 3.) Sub- Saharan Africa; 4.) Middle East and North Africa;

5.) Central Asia; 6.) Europe; and 7.) Asia-Pacific.

It should be noted that, for procedural matters, each Member National Society must declare

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itself as a member of one of the above defined regions.

4.8.1. In additions, the SC may invite representatives of other pediatric organizations as

non-voting members of the SC. These shall include representatives of the World

Federation of Pediatric Surgeons and the International Pediatric Chairs Association if

representatives of these Member International Pediatric Specialty Societies are not

elected to the SC.

4.9. Mechanism of election of members to the Standing Committee: each of the seven

IPA geographic regions will be represented on the SC by its President, and in addition

will present a list of candidates proposed by Member National Pediatric Societies of that

region with due consideration of rotation of areas within the region .Each of the Member

International Pediatric Medical and Surgical Specialty Societies will present one duly

elected candidate. At least six

Months prior to the International Congress, curriculavitae of all candidates will be sent to

the Administrative Office .At the time of the International Congress, the CD will endorse

the regional Presidents as members of the SC and elect the allotted representatives from

each of the seven geographic regions, voting on the candidates presented by each region,

and five members from the list of candidates presented by Member International

Pediatric Medical and Surgical Specialty Societies.

Voting for Standing Committee members from a particular region will be done by

Council of Delegates representatives from within the same region.

4.10. Transitional Procedure: Elections in 2004 for committees and officers will take

place under the terms of the current constitution. The new election process will be enacted

for the 2007 Congress if ratified at the 2004 Congress. The policies of the new

constitution will be in effect upon ratification.

4.11. No elected individual can serve as a regular member of the SC for more than two

successive 2 -year terms. This does not include persons nominated for future elections as

Officers.

4.12. Members of the EC shall be voting members of the Standing Committee.

4.13. The functions of the Standing Committee shall be:

(i) To develop the programs and strategic plan of the IPA and to make decisions

on behalf of the CD between its regularly scheduled meetings in case of necessity;

(ii) To establish policies in accordance with the objectives of IPA, subject to

ratification by the CD at its following meeting;

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(iii) To appoint advisors and advisory committees;

(iv) To approve of the IPA budgets and operations on the recommendation of the

President, Treasurer and the Executive Director;

(v) To elect an Executive Director, Coordinator of Development, and Treasurer

from a list of candidates nominated by the EC;

(vi) To elect two members of the EC from the newly constituted SC who shall serve

on both SC and EC to maximize integration and coordination;

4.14.The Executive Committee (EC): The EC shall consist of the President of the IPA,

the President-Elect, the Executive Director, the Coordinator of Development, the

Treasurer, the President of the forth coming International Congress, and 2 members

of the SC in accordance with provision of Article 4.13(vi).

Candidates for the Executive Director, Coordinator of Development, and Treasurer will

be nominated by the EC and elected by the SC. In addition a representative of the

Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) contracted by the IPA may attend EC meetings

as a staff member and consultant.

4.15. The functions of the EC shall be:

(i) To carry out the programs and policies of the IPA including those

developed and/or delegated by the SC;

(ii) to nominate and present to the SC a list of candidates for the offices of Executive

Director, Treasurer, and Coordinator of Development,

(iii) To assist the President of the forth coming international congress with its

preparation;

(iv) To recommend the budget of the IPA to the SC for approval;

(v) To refer applications from prospective new Member Societies to

the CD;

(vi) To exercise such authority as may be delegated by the CD or the

SC.

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Article5-OFFICERS

5.1. The Officers of IPA shall be the President and the President-Elect. Both Officers

must be Pediatricians in good standing with their National Member Societies, and their

National Societies must be in good standing with the IPA. 5.2. The President of the IPA shall preside at the meetings of the CD, SC and EC and may

convene emergency meetings of the EC or SC as indicated.

5.3. Following a- 2 years term (after 2019), the President shall continue in an on-voting

advisory capacity to the SC and EC for one - 2 years term.

5.4. The President-Elect, after one- 2 years term (after 2019), shall take office as the

President for one - 2 years (term).

5.5. In the event of the President's temporary or permanent in capacity, the President-

Elect shall serve as Acting President for the remaining duration of the period of in

capacity. This time shall not be counted in the one - 2 year (after 2019) tenure period as

the President.

5.6. The EC shall nominate candidates as Executive Director, Coordinator of

Development, and Treasurer who, following election by the SC shall be the executives of

the IPA. These executives will be incharge of technical, administrative and financial

affairs of the IPA in consultation with the EC and SC.

5.7 Executives (which do not include the President or President-Elect) can serve up to 2

terms, except for Executive Director who may serve up to 3 terms. 5.8. The Executive Director, along with the President, shall be responsible to the CD and to

the SC for carrying out their policies and decisions. 5.9. The EC and the SC may delegate such authority to the Executive Director as may be

needed for efficient functioning of the IPA. 5.10. The IPA Treasurer shall receive a half-yearly statement of accounts from the IPA

Administrative Office which will be analyzed and then recommended, or not, for

approval to the EC and SC. These financial statements of accounts must be validated by

external audit prior to the Treasurer’s evaluation.

5.11. The Treasurer will preside over a Finance and Development Committee that consists

of the IPA President, the Executive Director, and the Coordinator of Development, other

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members from the EC and SC and external consultants whenever found necessary.

Article6- SITE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

6.1. The EC shall decide where the Administrative office and staff of the IPA is to

be located following consultation with the SC.

Article7-INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

7.1. The Council of Delegates (CD) shall determine the location of the International

Congress. The location should be consistent with the overall philosophy of the IPA

regarding global rotation of Congress sites. The dates of the International Congress shall

be determined by the President of the Congress after consultation with the President of

the IPA, the IPA Professional Congress Organizer (PCO), and the IPA EC and SC. 7.2.The President of the Congress shall be from the host country and shall be

nominated by the host National Pediatric Society (NPS)and be elected by the CD in

accordance with Article4.7. 7.3. If there should be an irreconcilable division between the Congress President and the

host NPS, it shall be open to the NPS to ask the SC to consider replacing the Congress

President with another person. This individual shall be proposed by the NPS up to the

time of the interim meeting of the SC between Congresses, provided it is not less than one

and a half years before the next Congress.

7.4. All aspects of each Congress will be coordinated by the IPA, the IPA PCO and the

President of the Congress, with all details dictated by the specific contractual

arrangements developed. The ultimate responsibility for the Congress and its

organization resides with the IPA. Article8-AMENDMENTS

8.1. Any proposal to amend the Constitution or Schedules shall be sent to the Executive

Director in a timely fashion to permit the Executive Director to send this to the CD not

later than six months prior to the next meeting and shall appear on the agenda in the form

of a motion by a Member Society or by the SC. 8.2. At the meeting of the CD, a proposed amendment may be accepted without change

or may be further amended by proposal of the delegates by a vote of at least two-thirds

of the Member Societies present at the meeting.

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First Schedule (Article5.3.)

A. Presidency: A.1.Nominations for candidates for President-Elect must be made by at

least three National Member Societies in good standing and approved by the individuals’

own National Pediatric Society. Proposals must be received by the Executive Director at

least six months before the next scheduled meeting of the CD.

A.2.In election of the President-Elect of the IPA, there must be rotation of geographic

representation. Therefore, for any Presidential candidate to be eligible for election,

he/she must represent a region from which there has been no President-Elect for the

two preceding 2 years terms.

Second Schedule

B. Dues:

B.1.Dues for Member Societies shall be established by guidelines developed by the EC

and SC and approved by the CD.

B.2.If under exceptional circumstances a Member Society has difficulties with the

transfer of dues to the IPA; they may be deposited in a bank in their respective country

in the local currency and be placed at the disposal of the Executive Director of the IPA.

Third Schedule

C. Termination of Rights:

C.1. Non-payment of dues by a Member Society for 2 years (after 2019). Shall

automatically suspend voting rights until a final decision of the CD is taken at its next

meeting.

C.2.Membership may be terminated by the decision of the CD for documented violation

of IPA Principles Such decisions must be documented in writing.

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Fourth Schedule (Article 4) D. Meetings:

D.1.The EC and SC shall hold meetings at the site and time of the International

Congress, and other annual meetings shall be held at other sites as decided upon

by the EC and SC.

D.2.In addition to the annual meetings, special meetings of the EC and SC may be

called at the discretion of the President and the EC of the IPA.

D.3.The presence of a majority of EC and SC Members shall comprise a quorum

for each of the meetings. In case a quorum is not possible due to unforeseen

emergency, the meeting maybe adjourned and reconvened. Discussions can proceed

but no binding decisions can be made.

D.4.Ordinarily, meetings of EC and SC must be convened and provisional agenda sent

to Members at least one month in advance. D.5.The CD shall meet at the time of each International Congress.

D.6.Reports of the President and the Executive Director and the recommendations of

the EC and of the SC shall be presented to each Delegate atleast one month prior to the

meeting of the CD. D.7.The presence of the delegates of more than half of the Member Societies at a

session of the CD shall comprise a quorum. D.8.Sites of the succeeding International Congresses must be proposed by

representatives of National Member Societies and must be endorsed by the

government of the respective country. Under normal circumstances there will be a

regular rotation of geographic sites of International Congresses.

To be eligible for hosting a congress, a country must be from a region in which no

congress has been held during the two preceding 2 years (after 2019) periods.

D.9.Proposals for Congresses must reach the Executive Director at least six months

before the upcoming meeting of the Council and circulated to the CD.

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Fifth Schedule

E. Languages:

E.1.The official languages of IPA shall be English, Spanish and French.

E.2.Contributions may be made and published in any of these

languages.

E.3.The International Congress shall use these languages and the language of the host country

as far as means and facilities will allow.

E.4.Provisions shall be made for simultaneous translations during meetings of the CD.

F. Voting:

Sixth Schedule

F.1.A simple majority of Members present and voting at meetings of the EC and the

SC shall be valid as long as a quorum is present. Proxy voting shall not be allowed. In

special circumstances, postal voting (including paper copies of emails and faxes) may

be utilized.

F.2.A simple majority of the Member Societies present and voting at the meetings of the

CD shall be valid so long as a quorum is present.

F.3. A two-thirds majority of Member Societies present and voting at meetings of the

CD shall be required for changing the Constitution so long as a quorum is present.

F.4.In the event that the vote is tied, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

Seventh Schedule

G.1.The reports of the President and Executive Director of the IPA, the list of candidates

for the President Elect of the IPA and the SC of the IPA, the curricula vitae of all

candidates, and the proposed sites for the next International Congress shall be sent to each

Member Society at least one month before the next scheduled meeting of the CD.